2018 Social Trend Forecast Part 1

Times have immensely changed since Just Media kicked off its first paid social media campaign back in 2012. Targeting was rudimentary, spends were minimal and most B2B marketers never thought they would see their brand on Facebook. Our specialized and ever-growing paid social team of experts now handles everything from the complex interactive ad deployments, intricate audience set up using first and third-party data and interpreting mind numbingly large data reports across a myriad of platforms both large (as in Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn) and more niche (as in Reddit or Xing). In this two-part blog our social team gives their thoughts on the various platforms and what exciting developments they hope to see come to fruition in 2018.

Machine Learning

Consumers are demanding personalized experience when it comes to being exposed to and consuming content now that companies such as Netflix and Spotify have raised the bar. Marketers are faced with the challenge of personalizing content and messaging at scale, enter machine learning into the conversation. While enabling a segmented approach when it comes to targeting and messaging can get us closer to personalization, tapping into machine learning would allow marketers to tailor content to users at scale, taking into consideration factors such as what stage a consumer may be at in the sales cycle. We have seen success with machine learning capabilities such as retargeting and dynamic ad units, but this could just be the tip of the iceberg. Social platforms such as Facebook have already started off the year vowing to get the platform back to a better user experience, which in part entails the decrease of irrelevant posts and ads in user newsfeeds. We predict that adaptation and refinement of machine learning will be a next step towards achieving this goal and creating an optimal user experience when it comes to social media advertising.

Contributed By:
T E R R A B A Y K A L

Sink or Swim on Facebook

2018 is going to be all about storytelling, and the brands will soon raise to the top or sink to the bottom depending on how well they can connect with their target audiences. Through Facebook Live business we will be able to connect with users through shared experiences by bringing them up close and personal to industry events, round table talks, and interactive webinars. Soon static image placements won’t cut it when trying break-through the intense competition on Facebook. Businesses should prepare to put higher level of investment behind brand awareness tactics that matter and add user value: live content.

Not only is video a major trend for 2018 but short form video content will reign supreme as brands/advertisers turn to catch viewer’s attention in six seconds or less with snackable message driven content.

Six second video ads can be a valuable means for companies with limited creative resources as videos can be easily created without high production budgets as well. However, companies with longer form videos can also repurpose their content for six second video ads as part of a larger story by sequencing the video content in shorter videos. These videos can then be shown on different channels such as Instagram and Snapchat.

Just Media encourages brands to make use of short form content across the digital sphere as we compete for consumer’s attention in an already saturated digital ad marketplace. We must learn to craft content strategies that can quickly catch someone’s attention and deliver’s the message immediately to fully take advantage of the potential of this ad format.

Contributed By:M A R I A G O N Z A L E Z

Instagram Improvements

While Facebook seems to dominate the headlines in 2018 so far with big changes on the horizon, Instagram is following its footsteps with a promising product roadmap for the year. Some great features you should utilize in 2018 include; hashtags (especially now that you can follow specific hashtags), direct messages and stories. All of these tools are important ways to reach your audiences in a unique fashion.

Contributed By:S A R A H M O R I

Consciously Creating Content

As 2018 progresses, we must make sure we’re staying on top of the current content trends. The most important thing to remember here is audience experience. With that comes the notion of quality over quantity in terms of the user journey and experience. You don’t necessarily need 25 pieces of content, but 10 highly relevant and impactful pieces your target market will love. The new year also brings a heavier emphasis on— you guessed it —video! Video is a fun and engaging way to share your message and build up a positive brand reputation. At this point, leaving out video would be a disservice to your branding, so make sure to capitalize on this thriving tactic!

Contributed By:N I K K I L E E A N D E R S O N

Allocating Budget on Social in 2018

In 2018 we can expect social spend to be more closely tied to driving business results. This increased level of accountability will drive marketers to experiment and identify opportunities that drive sales across platforms, targeting tactics and ad types. It is projected that social media will dominate digital marketing if social metrics prove that the platform is driving sales. This year is all about data supported optimizations and making sure that campaigns are driving toward the right conversions. Facebook and Programmatic will continue to dominate social as marketers reallocate spend to the platforms that show the highest returns.

Contributed By:M I S A R A S M U S S E N

Twitter

Between lack of profits and slow user growth, companies are seeing less value in utilizing Twitter’s capabilities. As Twitter gets overlooked as a social marketing platform, marketers are overlooking the value behind Twitter data. Tweets can be used to manage crime, expedite response to natural disasters, or even predict stick market fluctuations. In collaboration with BrandWatch, Twitter can put together data sets that can spot user trends before they form just from Tweet data alone. We think that 2018 will be a year that Twitter turns this interesting data into useful data for advertisers to segment and utilize in order to reach the right audiences.

Contributed By:L I N H N G U Y E N

How will these trends affect your social media strategy for 2018? Click here for Part 2 of our 2018 Social Media Forecast, and hear additional updates from the rest of the Just Media Paid Social Team.